


Tetchy ... (Coda to s7e23, "Wehe Ana" ("Prelude"))

by IreneClaire



Series: Various Notions Collection [15]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bromance, Caring, Coda, Cute Charlie, Episode: s07e23 Wehe 'ana (Prelude), Eventual Happy Danny, Friendship, Gen, Missing Scene, Sad Danny, Sappy, supportive Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 08:52:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10873374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IreneClaire/pseuds/IreneClaire
Summary: What happens when Danny comes home and finds out that Steve has finished decorating Charlie's new bedroom without him?He deviated almost instantly, down the hall and straight towards Charlie's newly decorated bedroom. Easing the door open, Danny leaned against the frame, his eyes already accustomed to the dark and he wanted to simply cry right then and there. He saw everything all at once. Charlie, sound asleep on his side, covers already kicked half-way to the floor, a gentle smile on a sleep-flushed face. The FSTASLP license plate at the foot of the bed. The curtains, the car-lamp, the small dresser.All done by Steve.





	Tetchy ... (Coda to s7e23, "Wehe Ana" ("Prelude"))

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Notes: Based on my own Word of the Day Self Challenge.
> 
> Word of the day / Coda to Season 7, Episode 23, "Wehe Ana" ("Prelude") = this episode fit the word of the day. So referenced whumpage; the muse wanted sweet and sensitive. (AKA - all kinds of sappy, saccharin). Not beta'd and written during lunch at work. Mistakes are my own. Just for fun.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O**

 

 **Word of the Day:** _Tetchy: irritably or peevishly_ _sensitive_

 

Danny rested his forehead against the door, eyes closed, as he blindly fumbled his key into the lock. He was exhausted. Beyond exhausted if you threw in the headache and the deep throbbing in his chest. Even his neck hurt from where the Queen of all Ninjas had tried to strangle him to death. When the lock clicked open and his free hand turned the nob, he literally rolled his body round into the house, bracing himself against the door the entire time as he re-locked it.

The doctor in the ER had suggested to him that he might do well to stay the night. Then, the compromise when he'd refused, to simply go home and rest, take the prescribed pain medications, and to check in with a friend or family member. Instead, he'd gone back to make sure that Makino was settled and to ease his own mind. He needed the emotional purge and the quiet opportunity to apologize even though Makino couldn't hear him. Secretly, Danny hoped that maybe the comatose man just might have heard something he'd said.

That was possible, he guessed.

Knowing his way in the dark, Danny dragged his feet as he aimed for the kitchen, wanting nothing more than a hot shower and his own, full-sized bed. _Desperate_ to check on his son as he slept in his newly decorated room and in his brand new bed. But once he did that, Danny knew that he'd be completely diverted. He'd become distracted, get mired on watching his son sleep, castigate himself for not being there, or even could quite literally fall asleep sitting up if he dared stop moving. He'd work himself into even more of a bad spot and if one thing was true, the pain meds couldn't be taken on an empty stomach. So, he ignored his fatherly desires and wanted he really wanted to do because he didn't dare skip his first dose of meds. _Because_ , if he felt so miserable now, there'd be no going back later and he didn't need to feel nauseous - or worse. Then, he'd be good for nothing come morning and Danny couldn't bear the thought of not being functional around Charlie when he woke for breakfast.

He'd missed enough that first day; too much. He'd not finished the bed, nor completed decorating the room. He'd completely missed Charlie's initial reactions to his new race car bed. It was almost as bad as having missed his son's first attempts at walking.

So Danny simply couldn't mess up a second full day with his son. He'd need the time to finish decorating the room ... maybe they could do that together in the morning. It wasn't what Danny had originally wanted or planned, but he could make it work.

All of this made him moody. More than that, Danny was _tetchy_ ... a word his grandmother would have used if she'd seen his peevish expression and clocked his cranky demeanor. That word fit him that night perfectly though as he forced himself to mind what the doctor prescribed though he'd rather take that hot shower, go to bed, check on _Charlie_ ... definitely check on Charlie.

Danny had to do it.

He deviated almost instantly, down the hall and straight towards Charlie's newly decorated bedroom. Easing the door open, Danny leaned against the frame, his eyes already accustomed to the dark and he wanted to simply cry right then and there. He saw everything all at once. Charlie, sound asleep on his side, covers already kicked half-way to the floor, a gentle smile on a sleep-flushed face. The FSTASLP license plate at the foot of the bed. The curtains, the car-lamp, the small dresser.

All done by Steve. His friend had even hung the racing pictures; literally _everything was done._

All done ... and _not_ by him. This wasn't the way he'd envisioned any of it happening.

" _Shit_ ," Danny mumbled under his breath, his eyes now welling with unshed tears. He rubbed at the ache in his temple as it worsened in spades as he refused to actually let those tears fall.

"He loves it."

The whisper came from over his shoulder and Danny was too tired, too upset, to be startled by it.

"His Danno ... Danno's the _greatest_ ," Steve whispered next. "Charlie said that ... he loves it all, buddy. A lot, too." The smile in Steve's voice was genuine. Proud and unaffectedly so. He was happy for Danny. Pleased he could help, but Danny wasn't there yet. He wasn't sure he could get there either. He felt like he'd failed in every single way possible.

"It's great," Danny managed to say. "Thanks ... thank you. I couldn't ... yeah." He didn't finish what he thought he should say. He kept his face averted as the tears threatened in earnest now. He meant it; he was thankful. And he couldn't have gotten the room put together without Steve's help. So surely, he was being overly sensitive. Wasn't he?

"C'mere," Steve whispered and Danny automatically turned when he felt the tug on his sleeve. Steve was insisting on leading him away, closing the bedroom door just enough while Charlie slept so they wouldn't accidentally wake him. Caught up in his thoughts, Danny found himself seated at his own kitchen table, Steve puttering silently about. A minute later, there was a water glass in front of him and then a covered plate.

"Sandwich. Eat," Steve said. But then he was literally patting Danny down, searching for something in his shirt pockets and muttering in disgust. "Where is it?"

"Where's what? What are you doing?" Danny asked peevishly as he pushed Steve's hands away. He stared back at Steve, wanting to argue that he was fine as he was visually examined from head to toe. The bruise on his forehead, the red abrasion on his collar bone; it was almost as if Steve could gauge the severity of every ache and pain.

"You look like crap and I know it's from more than missing Charlie's first reaction to his new room. So, tell me ...you've got a bottle of prescription pain meds somewhere," Steve explained rather bluntly.

"Eat, Danny ... where's the bottle though?"

Stunned into silence, his hand just inches from the plate of food, Danny didn't do more than blink stupidly into Steve's face. Only momentarily tabled, the tears threatened again. He'd missed Charlie's reaction ... the room was completely done, and nothing had happened the way he'd intended that day.

"Yo, Danny," Steve said, snapping his fingers under his nose. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I am," Danny muttered softly as he fished the bottle of pain meds out of a pocket and tossed it over to Steve. He was too tired to have a temper. He should just be thankful because what was done, was done. Heaving in a lungful of air, Danny winced as he let it out low and long. His chest flared and thudded along with his head. He'd certainly had enough for one, very long day.

"Two," Steve said as he handed two pills back. "Eat and drink up, buddy, and then I have something to show you."

"Thanks," Danny mumbled, utterly disheartened, downing the meds without thought. But he grunted in confusion when Steve opened and then propped up his iPad virtually under his very nose. He looked up, confused into Steve's face.

"What's this? Something about the case ... what?"

"Case? Uh ... no. You really are half asleep," Steve chuffed in mock disgust as he tapped the video into play mode. "I know it's not the same and trust me, even though Charlie knew we were doing this for you, his reaction is for real."

"His _what_?" Danny whispered, though in that very moment he knew what the video would be of ... Charlie. The first time he'd seen his room. Once again, Steve had managed to save the day in the very best way he knew how and this time, it was a major Hail Mary.

As the tears dried up and a smile slowly crept across his face, Danny forgot about his body-wide aches and his originally tetchy mood. He watched the video and forgot everything in fact.

Based on the angle, Steve had positioned himself on the opposite side of the bedroom, well in the corner so he could video Charlie's reaction. There was a bit of fumbling and a crazily, rotated view of floor and ceiling until the camera steadied itself on the doorway.

 _"Okay, buddy!"_ Danny heard Steve's voice call out. And, watching now, all of that earlier sadness fled him in an instant when Charlie came into view on the video feed, eyes wide with amazement, his excited shout nearly deafening even through the device's small speaker.

Danny grinned widely as he watched Charlie launch himself into the race car bed, his face beaming in happiness. Not perfect and not what he'd wanted or planned out - but surely, the very best next thing to being darn close to it.

"Fist bump for Danno," Steve whispered proudly into his ear.

_**~ End. ~** _


End file.
